1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to surface coverings for exterior or interior use. In particular, this invention relates to fibrous coverings suitable for use on solid surfaces, particularly on concrete, such as garage floors, patios or walkways.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to provide coverings, such as indoor/outdoor carpet, on walkways or patios to provide traction on potentially slippery surfaces and to cover unsightly surfaces. Due to the difficulty in affixing coverings to exterior surfaces that are irregular and exposed to the elements, most coverings are merely laid over the surface or tacked in place. However, this does not provide a secure covering and can slip or easily become displaced.
There has been an interest in designing garages that are more organized, attractive and comfortable in recent years. Typically, a garage floor is formed of concrete, which is difficult to keep clean, particularly dust free. Concrete is also a very hard and unforgiving surface to stand or work on. The problems with covering a garage floor involve providing a surface that can withstand typical uses, particularly vehicular traffic. Coverings merely laid over concrete cannot be driven on without bunching and slipping.
In the past, coverings were manufactured with a backing to which an adhesive or a double-sided adhesive tape was applied. Typically, the adhesive was applied to the entire backing, especially for very demanding traffic applications. The covering was then applied to a surface, such as a garage floor. It was extremely difficult to remove the covering from the surface, if, for example, the covering was damaged or otherwise needed to be removed.
Another problem with prior art coverings is that during installation, it was necessary to orient the coverings in a predetermined pattern or orientation. Some coverings had a release liner that covered the adhesive and the release liner had arrows or other indicia to assist the installer with installing the tile in the correct orientation. Unfortunately, even with such indicia, after the tiles are turned fabric side up the indicia cannot be seen and/or the orientation of the indicia gets lost relative to the tiles that are already situated on the surface that causes misplaced tiles or coverings. Unfortunately, because of the bond between the adhesive and the tiles, such tiles were difficult to remove and prolong the installation time.
Still another problem with prior art systems is that the covering was cut with contact cutters that did not provide for accurate cutting of the edges. Consequently, when such coverings were placed into a surface adjacent other coverings, they could not be properly fit and/or if fit would not look proper.
There is, therefore, a need for a system and method for making a covering product that is suitable for exterior or interior use, and particularly suitable for use in a garage that is subject to vehicular traffic and can withstand high loads and traction forces while remaining in place. There is also a need for providing a covering that is easy to install and maintain or repair if necessary.